The Coming Storm
by DandelionDreamers
Summary: A thunderstorm awakens Peeta and Katniss. Post-Mockingjay. One shot.


Disclaimer: We don't own this. Suzanne Collins does.

**The Coming Storm**

_By DandelionDreamers_

- d|b -

Thunder crashed and Peeta Mellark woke up in his bed next to his heavily pregnant wife with a sigh. He'd wanted to get a full night's sleep, but it seemed that nature had a perverse sense of humor and enjoyed tormenting people. Especially people with leaky roofs.

"Katniss, wake up," he whispered, nudging her bare shoulder.

She mumbled something incoherent and rolled over, nuzzling her face against his chest.

For a moment, he reveled in the feeling of trust that she had. Then Peeta sighed again, he didn't really want to wake her but knew that it wasn't a good idea to stay in their bedroom when there was a storm coming. "Love, please," he tried again.

This time she seemed to respond, she opened her Seam grey eyes and stared up at him. "What is it?" she asked, sleepily.

"A storm. We need to get the buckets"

She frowned but moved to get out from under the covers and Peeta followed suit. When she extricated herself, she ponderously got to her feet and stood there a few moments frowning at the floor.

He noticed her dismay and finished tying his robe about him. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

"I can't bend down to get my robe," she replied, scowling at the offending garment.

Peeta laughed, admiring her nude form. Even several months gone with his child she was still the most attractive woman he knew, scars and all. Walking around the bed, he picked up the warm terrycloth garment and settled it around her shoulders. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he whispered placing a gentle kiss against the nape of her neck.

She smiled back at him, her eyes full of promise. "I can think of several things, but now's not the time. You're the one who woke me up because there's a storm coming, remember?"

"Forget the storm," he replied huskily.

"I'd love to," she said, motioning with one hand to the window of their bedroom and the flickering sky, "but I don't think we have time for this right now."

Peeta frowned. "Remind me to have a conversation with Thom to find a good roofer and carpenter. I don't know how Haymitch put up with his place for so long. The roof leaks like crazy if you don't fix it every five years. The windows rattle. The floor squeaks. And the chimney is beginning to pull away from the house. If we weren't so short on housing here in Twelve, I'd suggest moving."

"I don't think it's come to that just yet," Katniss replied wrinkling her nose at him. "It's still better built than my old house in the Seam. That house had walls so thin that you could hear everything going on in the other rooms."

"Everything?" he asked, thinking about their earlier activities.

She nodded. "Everything. When Prim and I were old enough, Mom and Dad used to send us out to the Meadow to play so they could have a little private time. Thankfully, we shouldn't need to do that."

"That's something at least."

"Yeah. I've got to try to see good in things." Her voice sounds a little haunted.

He knew that voice. It's the same voice that scared him so much right after Prim died so long ago. The same one that he knew meant that she'd been having nightmares. She didn't like to worry him, but he knew she was having them more often since she found out they were going to have a baby. It was her decision to keep it. But the strain got to her at times. "Nightmare?" he asked, reaching out to touch her back gently.

She leaned back against him and he wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah. I dreamed I lost you. Like Annie lost Finnick."

He tightened his arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere," he murmured against the side of her neck.

"I'm afraid they'll take you away from me," she whispered in a broken voice.

"Never," he said firmly. "Never going to happen. They're gone, Katniss. Coin, Snow, all of them. They're gone. They're never going to hurt us again."

"I know. But try telling my brain that. It still has trouble remembering that there isn't a reaping taking place every July Fourth."

He nodded but didn't say anything. He had the same nightmares. The same worries. Sometimes they felt so real that he needed to ask Katniss to make sure they were illusions left over from the hijacking and not something that really happened.

They stood there together for a few more seconds until another crash of thunder and flash of lightning reminded them that the storm was still coming. Reluctantly they separated.

Katniss scowled at thunderstorm. "Can you wait for two minutes?" she asked.

Peeta wasn't sure if she were addressing him or the storm, but decided to err on the side of caution. "Sure. What for?"

"I've got to pee," she answered. "I'm going to be so happy when this kid comes out and I can go without having to go to the toilet every two minutes. Thank goodness the septic tank is in good shape. Can you imagine the mess with this storm if it wasn't?"

Peeta nodded, trying to keep himself from laughing. Ever since they found out they were having a baby a few months ago, it had been a never ending race to fix all of the problems with the house and get the nursery set up before the baby came. They'd managed to fix the chimney and get the septic tank cleaned out. Katniss was working on laying in enough stores to last them through the winter going out almost daily to set snares, gather food, and take care of their large kitchen garden. It was a struggle since they didn't get the same victor allowance like they used to before the rebellion. They still got a little as veterans of the War of District Independence, but it wasn't enough to cover all of the expenses.

Peeta could have taken over as the village baker, but that job had too many bad memories associated with it. Plus with his flashbacks and hallucinations, he didn't want to interact with the public. He made most of his money taking commissions for elaborate cakes and family portraits. It was enough to supplement what Katniss did to provide for them.

Still, it was one problem to be solved after the other. He sighed. "I suppose this is what my father meant when he said that into each life some rain must fall. But I didn't guess he meant that it would be into my home!"

She laughed. "Your dad was a smart man."

Thinking back to his father, Peeta smiled sadly. "Yeah, he was."

Hearing his tone, she reached out and clasped his hand. He squeezed it back and sighed again. Time to face the coming storm, but with Katniss by his side, he could face anything.

- d|b -

Hi! We're the DandelionDreamers. Two sisters. One Penname. I hope you liked our first fic.

If you did, or even if you didn't, please drop us a line letting us know what you think!

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